The further to the left or the right you move, the more your lens on life distorts.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Trajectory

In the aftermath of an election in which Democrats got thumped at the presidential, congressional, state (governors and state legislative) levels, you'd would think it would be time for serious introspection, but it appears the Democrats are going to double down on failed policies and a failed blue model. Kim Strassel writes:

We teach our children that what matters isn’t how we handle success, but how we handle defeat. Tell that to the collapsing Democratic Party.

Here’s what Democrats know: They got thumped last week. Donald Trump cleaned their clocks, despite his disorganization, controversies and lack of money. Senate Democrats blew at least seven competitive races, and they remain in the minority. House Democrats blew even more, and they remain in the minority. Democratic governors got thumped. Democratic state legislators got thumped. Democratic dog catchers—if there were any on the ballot—got thumped.

What Democrats should realize, because everyone else does, is that voters rejected both their policies (which have undermined middle- and low-income families) and their governance (which has fueled rage at a power-hungry federal government). Hillary Clinton proposed more of the same. Coal workers said no. Blue-collar union workers said no. Suburban moms said no. Small businessmen, drowning under Dodd-Frank and ObamaCare, said no.

But "no" is not a word that true believers want to hear. So instead of recognizing that it's just possible that Americans are less than enamored of a big intrusive government (B.I.G.) that stifles everything from the way we work to the way we think, Dems insist those same Americans want more of it.

But it's more than that. The past 11 days have been an object lesson in how to be a sore loser. In a snarky, but nonetheless honest appraisal of the reaction from the Left, Judah Friedman provides guidelines for the Dems moving forward (tongue planted only slightly in cheek):

... [make] sure protesters remain on the street, blocking highways and businesses. There is no better message to those out of work than people who don’t want to work. College, elementary, and high school kids should continue to stage walkouts. Who doesn’t enjoy watching their tax dollars at work?

... Getting more celebrity endorsements is also a key factor for the next presidential election. Whoever is the next Democrat nominee must ensure that he or she or they acquire endorsements, not just from every entertainer in America, but every entertainer in the world.

... Continue to berate, unfriend, and threaten to fire all those who supported the president-elect. Nothing is more charming to most Americans than inclusion and tolerance.

... Get the fringe voters. Keep kneeling during the national anthem. Continue to call out our police departments for being racist...

... Never ever call it radical Islam. In fact, every time there is an attack abroad, and God forbid domestically, keep insisting Islam is a religion of peace, while knocking intolerant Christians.

... absolutely have Keith Ellison as the next head of the DNC. I’m sure many Americans would be okay with his ties to Louis Farrakhan and organizations like CAIR. What Republican or mainstream American voter didn’t like hearing him compare George W. Bush to Hitler?

... Create your own communities of thoughts and ideas. The college campuses and the social and mainstream media were obviously not enough to get you over the Trump in this election. So my idea for you is safe zones or sanctuary states. Oh wait, you already have that in New York and California, and that didn’t work.

To Friedman's list I would add:

be sure to accuse every Trump cabinet nominee of "racism" or "Islamophobia" or ... heck, they know the list of empty epithets;

never, ever criticize universities that ban speakers with a viewpoint that conflicts with progressive thought;

refuse the meet with or negotiate on any substantive legislation, if it has been proposed by the GOP;

celebrate "sanctuary cities" even when their policies result in an increase in crime

boo and then lecture a Vice President-elect in a Broadway theater on why he's a bad person. After all, an upscale audience of limousine liberals and stage actors are the sole arbiters of what's moral and right; with ticket prices topping $150 a seat, Broadway is a wonderful haven for middle class people, isn't it?

I have to believe that some Democrats are becoming uneasy as their party veers to left, thinking (the heresy!) that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren might not be the best leaders to have. I'm sure that a few want it to stop. But they would be berated and even demonized for a lack of progressive purity.

But no worries. The Democrats sit on a high moral plain, so they can see the future better than any of the rest of us. After all, they saw the future way back in 2008 and it was oh-so-bright—until it wasn't.

About Me

Over the years, I’ve been an engineer, a manager, a professor, a consultant, an author and an entrapreneur. Today, I work with my sons at Evannex, an automotive aftermarket products manufacturer and e-commece company that specializes in electric vehicles. I've written a number of best-selling college textbooks and have tried the occasional novel.
I’ve lived long enough to see the irrationality in extreme positions taken by both ends of the political spectrum and worry that decisions driven by these positions may get us all into very real trouble. I harbor no illusions about influencing decision-making, only making a comment or two that might provoke you to think beyond the prevailing narrative.
On a personal level, I’ve been married for 48 years (to the same person!) and have two terrific sons who live and work in South Florida and are partners in a business we've created.
I'm originally from Connecticut, but have lived in SoFla for almost 20 years.